City recognizes the staff who care for the infrastructure we too easily take for granted

At its May 11 meeting, the City Council passed a resolution honoring Public Works employees for their care of the infrastructure that we rely upon every day. That infrastructure — roads, sidewalks, water and waste management to name only a few — is so much a part of our daily life that we never think about it until routine maintenance or a problem takes that service away for a period of time.

The importance of our infrastructure and the effort required to ensure it continues to function smoothly are the reason that cities throughout the United States set aside time to formally recognize Public Works employees. This year, National Public Works week is May 20 – 27.

In addition to the City Council resolution, Public Works employees will receive a ‘thank you” in the form of coffee, juice, fruit and pastry handed out by supervisors as they head out to begin their workday.

The City Council’s resolution highlighted a number of recent Public Works milestones including the:

Development of a comprehensive Stormwater Management Program.

Completion of the 37th Avenue North Greenway project.

Rehabilitation of several tunnel segments throughout Minneapolis.

Response to the tornado that struck the North Side on May 22, 2011.

Action to stabilize the Martin Sabo Bridge after several cable supports broke on Feb. 19, 2012.

Preparations to expand residential recycling opportunities.

Completion of the new Filter Press System in the Dewatering Plant.

Replacement of outdated parking meters with new multi-space parking meters.

Completion of 45.3 miles of roadway reconstruction, resurfacing and sealcoating.

Minneapolis has more than 1,000 Public Works employees who design, build and maintain storm and sanitary sewer systems, streets, bridges and sidewalks. They also treat and distribute drinking water, collect solid waste and recyclables, and care for public buildings, City vehicles, parking ramps, traffic signals and more.

Their workload includes caring for 1,063 miles of roads, 8,000 hydrants, 100,000 street signs, 100,000 water service connections and 1,700 City vehicles. They also handle 170,000 tons of solid waste and process 25 billion gallons of water each year.